RWBY: Lucas and the rabbit
by Locke62
Summary: Lucas Cain is a teen who is starting his first year at beacon. Sounds fun right? A chance meeting with an unusual boy leads to an unexpected relationship and some battles that should never have happened. To top it off, when old and new friends clash he gets caught in the middle.
1. Chapter 1

Lucas Cain sat in his room, preparing for his first day at Beacon. The airships would be taking him to the school tomorrow along with the rest of the students gathering in town. Lucas himself lived in Vale, so he didn't have to scramble to find a place to stay or try to make the ship from somewhere else.

Lucas was a 17 year old boy with tan hair and light skin. He had light green eyes that reflected his easygoing personality. He wore his favorite jacket and jeans. Leaning against his door was his sniper rifle _Tiger's Eye._ The rifle had an extended barrel and adjustable zoom. There was recoil absorbers in the stock. The weapon used a compact 10 round clip.

"Lucas, time for dinner!" His mother called from the kitchen down the hall. Lucas packed one last pair of pant before he went to dinner. They were eating his mom's famous meatloaf, since it had a 100% mortality rate on your digestive track. Sometimes he hoped the hazmat team would burst in and take it away, but alas, it never happened.

"Thanks mum." He said as he sat down in his chair. His dad was working night shift down at _dusk till dawn_ , so he wasn't home. The old man who ran the shop was a family friend, so he never minded the extra hours. He was one of the few people on Remnant who could actually eat his mom's meatloaf.

Lucas's mom noticed his wandering to his father's usual chair. "You can see him tomorrow, sweetie. It's not like he is going to be working forever." Lucas nodded. He was actually wishing he was here to eat his dinner, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

They ate their food in silence, Lucas for alternative reasons. After the food was gone, his mom washed their plates and he took out the trash (maybe adding to it little). He was tempted to wait up to see his dad, but his mom chased him to bed at around 9 o'clock.

When he was sure his mom had left, Lucas opened his window and silently dropped into the soft grass. There was one last thing he had to do in secret before the next day. He kept to the shadows, making his way across the backyard and over the fence unnoticed.

Lucas walked through town until he reached the airship docks. He snuck past the guards and made his way to the back. Leaning against the outer hull of one of the ships was an old friend.

"Took you long enough". Sun Wukong said, his hands behind his head, balanced on one heel. "I'm used to waiting each summer for you to show up at your vacation home, but when I go out of my way to get here today, then you shouldn't make me wait."

"Sorry." Lucas sat down next to him. "Now can I see the photo?" Sun pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. It was an image of a girl with golden eyes and a bow.

"Just get to know her. I need inside info if I ever want to repair the damage I have done." He had a longing look on his face. Lucas put the picture in his pocket and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. From what he had learned, Sun had been beating himself up a lot about this girl, but never actually told him what he had done wrong.

Sun sat down and sighed. "I made a mistake. I stole some liquor and got myself hammered. Apparently when I was out of it, I stole her stuff and tried to black mail her into bed with me. I've apologized endlessly, but she never forgave me."

"Did she know you were drunk?"

"No. If I told her that, she would get mad at me for being stupid." He looked over his shoulder, making sure no one could hear him. "But it doesn't end there. To make up for it, I got her a puppy. Really big mistake. Stole her a necklace. Cops got me. And when I got desperate, I forced her to kiss me. Didn't end to well."

Lucas shook his head. Sun was a nice guy, but he was a complete and utter idiot. "I'll keep in touch." He said, patting his pocket. He turned and snuck his way back to his house, running when he was sure no one was around to see him. He made it back into his room and slipped into bed, his mom none the wiser.

Lucas's dad dropped him off at the airship docks the next day, a horde of people milling about all over the place. "Thanks for the lift, dad." Lucas said as he got out of the passenger side of the car.

"Take care Lucas." His dad called out. "And don't blow anything up this time!" They both cracked up, remembering the incident. In battle school, Lucas accidentally smashed a vial of dust and exploded. Thankfully he came out only slightly singed, but his dad would never let him live it down.

"I won't!" He waved as he walked away, slipping into the crowd. The last call had sounded and the teens were separating from their families and heading to the ships. Lucas was dragged with the crowd onto one of the ships. The kids dispersed. In all, each ship carried about 3 or 4 dozen students. Some kids stood in groups, some gathered around windows to watch the scenery. One kid even sat alone on a bench playing with a cat. A few girls stood nearby watching the cat as she rocketed after the toy.

A sudden teenage urge came over him and he activated his semblance. He switched over to heat vision and got a quick look at them, eyes turning red. _Yup, one of them is horny._ He confirmed from the energy output from their bodies. He walked over to the boy, discouraging them from making an approach.

"This your cat?" He asked. The teen looked up at him, scanned him, and then nodded. "My names Lucas Cain. You?"

"John. This one is Bella." He nodded to the cat that zoomed about the floor. Lucas sat down next to John. He had messy black hair, standing out I front so that it looked like it formed a natural visor. He stood at about 6'2, much bigger than Lucas who only stood at 5'6. He had a nice tan that made him look like he was covered in a light coating of clay. He had sharp, brown eyes that appeared to be calculating his next move in a chess game. His hands moved in practiced motions, easily out running the cat with the toy, but making it so tempting that Bella wouldn't give up.

is that your natural eye color?" John asked, not taking his eyes off of his cat. "I've never met someone with red eyes before."

"Naw. It's just my semblance. I can change the way my eyes see." He deactivated his semblance and his eyes changed back to normal. "This is my normal eye color." Bella caught the toy and John looked over. His eyes had softened now that he wasn't outdoing the cat. He gave some kind of grin/frown and nodded. If he had a caption, it would be 'not bad'.

"That's pretty amazing. Can I assume that red is infrared?" Lucas nodded, impressed that he could guess so easily. John cracked a grin. "I got a challenge for you. Can you see this?" The teen vanished into thin air.

"Oh dude! That's even more impressive." He activated his semblance. Sure enough, there he was, a smile still on his face. "Yup. I can see you. Semblance?"

"Yes." He tossed the cat toy over to one of the girls who were still watching. He then looked back to Lucas and asked. "What year are you in?"

"First. You?"

"Second." He paused, an idea popping into his mind. "Hey, you want to help me with something? There is this jerk at the school who is always picking on faunus, and our combined semblances could teach him a lesson."

"Why not?" He liked were this was going. John had a prank, and Lucas could help.

"Ok, so here's the plan." John painted a picture of a torment for this poor guy. John himself would be doing most of the work. Lucas would be getting some use of John's invisibility power, and it was up to him to hold off / play with the rest of the bullies. Lucas thought that his part should be called the _invisible man and the marbles._

"I get the annoyance of the bullies, but is it necessary to ruin the leaders life?" He asked. John shook his head and argued feverishly that he had done to much to get out of the punishment. "Ok, just asking. Any toys you can give me?"

John dug around in his bag and pulled out some balloons and blue dust. "I'll turn them invisible, you shake em', and then you throw them." He had lined the insides with soap to be excruciating when it got in the eyes.

Lucas walked off the airship loaded with no lethal weapons and a teammate. They had come up with many ways to mess with team CRDL. He was thankful that none of them were actually hurting them, but he still thought it was mean to throw away the core of a mans existence.

"Aw well. All I can do is pity this Cardin and watch the fireworks."

 **This is a note from the author. I apologize in advance if it's slightly boring, but this is the other half of my original story, so there will be a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense. But I promise it will be good.**


	2. Dinner and an info dealer

It started shortly after dinner began. Lucas was messing around with a bunch of guys his age when a commotion sprung up behind him. He turned around in his seat to see a big muscular man in armor holding a little rabbit faunus boy by his ears. A female rabbit faunus was struggling against the armored teens friends. She broke through the group and started to bang on the teens back uselessly.

"Let go of my little brother!" She shouted. The armored teen just laughed and knocked her away. Lucas felt an anger rise in his chest as he watched the event go on. The rest of the team started pushing the girl around, like they were playing catch.

 _Lucas, get ready!_ John's voice boomed inside his head. Lucas froze for a minute in shock. How was he able to do that? Then the armored teen seized up and dropped the rabbit faunus, the rest of the team noticed and moved in to catch him, jolting him back into reality.

Lucas got up and flung his weapons of watery destruction. Sure enough, as soon as the balloons left his hand they went invisible. They splattered against his targets heads, drenching them in an unnaturally large amount of water. They spun around and glared around, starring down at everyone who made eye contact.

"Who threw that!?" A guy with a Mohawk shouted. A few people shied away under his glare. Lucas couldn't resist the opportunity that John had just given him. He grabbed one of the guys by the underpants and kicked him over. The guy let out such a satisfying squeal that he couldn't help but laugh.

"How's it feel to be on the receiving end, asshole!" He yelled with glee, remembering all the times that had happened to him for being small. He pulled out a bunch of marbles and bounced them with amazing accuracy at their shins.

 _Yeah, get them!_ John cheered as the teens started to swing wildly. One of them started yelling about ghosts and turned to run away, getting shot down by 3 marbles to the back of each leg. The rabbit siblings stood a short distance away, giggling at the teens distress. The show ended with the armored teen publicly embarrassing himself and taking a nose dive, and the rest of the team running away, accidentally running over Lucas on the way.

The invisibility finally wore off as Lucas was mid laugh. John was mentally prodding him to shoot more marbles, but he had unfortunately ran out of ammunition. Lucas walked back to his table, his swag easily extending into his strides. The guys at the table gave him a hero's welcome as he returned. The entire room was in an uproar, cheers and laughter echoing off the walls.

"Dude, that was epic!" Charles, a third year said in between fits of laughter. "How did you get Cardin to do that stuff?" The rest of the table crowded around him, expecting to hear a spectacular tale.

Lucas leaned forward. "Secret is, I'm only the back up. Everything I just did was planned in advanced." The group couldn't believe it, it had to be him. He was the only one there, so who else could it be. "I can prove it. That wasn't my semblance." He turned his eyes a multitude of different colors, finally proving his point.

"So it wasn't you?" The rabbit faunus girl asked as she sat down next to Lucas. Lucas's heart skipped a beat as he got a closer look at her. _Damb, she's pretty._ He thought to himself.

"N-no." He stammered. "I was the one screwing around with the rest of the team." He felt a mental tug at the back of his head. "Speak of the devil, and he shall give me a call."

 _Did it go well on your end?_ John asked telepathically. Lucas nodded, forgetting that he probably couldn't see him. _You can think and I'll hear it._ John informed him. _So, any injuries that I should be aware of?_ Lucas was slightly surprised that John cared, but he guessed that all good trouble makers needed an accomplice.

 _Nope. Semblance healed the bruises I should have, but talking to a cute girl is so worth it._ Lucas heard John laughed before the mental link was cut off.

"You ok?" Velvet asked. Lucas nodded his head, which felt like a cloud was being stuffed into his head.

"Yeah. The mastermind was just checking up on me." Lucas glanced around, trying to locate the teen. There he was, watching him with an amused expression. He nodded his head slightly at the girl next to him. Lucas understood the message immediately. "So, a, what's your name? You haven't introduced yourself yet."

"Oh, sorry. My name's Velvet." She swayed side to side slightly. "Thank you for helping get my brother away from those guys. He is always being picked on for being small."

Lucas looked over his shoulder to the table were Cardin had taken his fall. "I guess that guy was a real dick, wasn't he?" Velvet nodded. "You should speak up more." He patted her on the back in a friendly way.

The rest of dinner went by in a flash. The teens at the table speculated about team CRDL, debated if the so called "mastermind" would strike again, and joked around about what was to be expected to happen during the school year. Lucas even managed to get a giggle out of Velvet.

But all good things come to an end. Everyone except the first years left for their dorms after dinner. Lucas was kind of down when Velvet said goodnight, but he lit up when she gave him her number. John pulled him aside before he left, reaching out with some advice. "Take it slow with her." He said.

"What are you talking about." Lucas blushed, trying to cover up his thoughts. Was he in his head again?

"Don't play dumb." John said, checking to make sure that no one could here them. "Velvet. She is a shy girl. What she needs is a kind person to protect her." He patted him on the back. "You have already set the groundwork. Good luck." He walked away, whistling to himself.

"Was I tricked into falling for Velvet?" Lucas wondered aloud.

"I think so." Lucas flinched and spun around. Velvet's little brother had snuck up behind him and had obviously heard everything. "So that's the mastermind, huh? Kind of big for a fifteen years old."

Lucas looked down at the short kid. "How did you know that?" Not even Lucas had heard about that.

"That would cost you." The little faunus said with a grin. "But I'll tell you my name for free." Lucas gave the go ahead. "I'm Kyle Scarlatina. If you have a question, and some money, come to me. I'm the best info dealer around." Lucas thanked Kyle and added his number to his scroll. He flipped through the numbers, noting the lack of John's number. He sent a quick summary of all he had learned to Sun and went and got changed in the locker room.

After securing a bed near the window, Lucas crawled into his sleeping bags and looked to the sky. In a school surrounded by strangers and on unfamiliar territory, the Stars were a familiar presence. He found his favorite constellation and felt at home again. Their was a scratching sound and he found that Kyle was scratching down a note in his little book.

"How are you so quite?" He asked the rabbit faunus.

Kyle smiled and tucked the little book away. "That would cost you." He said with a grin and walked away, disappearing with unusual skill. It would have been easier to spot someone with John's invisibility than to find that little guy. _How did Cardin even catch him?_ He checked his pockets to make sure everything was still here. Inside he found a note.

 _Dear Lucas Cain,_

 _I approve of your relationship with my sister._

 _Just know if you mess with her, I WILL mess you_

 _up._

 _sincerely, Kyle scarlatina._

Lucas smiled slightly. The oddest of friend were now his, and his new school was looking to be one hell of a year.


	3. Chapter 3 team COLE

Lucas stood on his square overlooking the emerald forest, wondering what kind of drugs Ozpin had in his coffee. The guy had just told them to search through the grim infested forest and find some relics. Only problem was, the forest was over a hundred feet down. Worst of all, no parachutes! One by one, the students were launched into the air. Not one of them backed out, making Lucas pretty sure he was surrounded by madmen.

Right before it was his turn, Lucas looked at Ozpin. "If I die, please tell me your coming for my body." Ozpin grinned.

"Nope." Twang. Lucas shot through the air like an arrow, screaming the whole way up. But that was all over when he thought of Velvet. She had given him her adorable smile when she bade him good luck that morning, so he had to survive. Thinking fast, Lucas unslung his rifle and used the recoil to try to slow his descent. He also spread out his body to increase air resistance. He was about to hit the first branches when he rolled midair, distributing the impact all over his body, and planted his feet evenly on on a thick branch. Their was a loud crack and the branch fell, Lucas jumping upon hearing the noise. This time the branch he landed on didn't break.

Lucas wheeled around and trained his rifle on the cliffs, determined to blast Ozpin in the face. Using his semblance, he magnified his eyesight. He could see the cliffs. He could see launch pads. But he couldn't see Ozpin. "Lucky bastard." Lucas muttered as he climbed down the tree. "I would have blasted that stupid coffee mug right out of his hand and see if he cried."

Lucas quickly scanned the area for heat signatures. A collection of people and grim glowed red in his eyes, some of the students had already found partners. He changed visions and scanned for any land marks. John had hinted about the relics being in a semicircle on stone pillars, apparently part of old ruins. Before he could locate his target, he located something more important.

Lucas spied a battle going poorly. Normally he would leave the person alone to their own fight, but he could see that the person was unarmed. Lucas couldn't get a clear shot through the foliage, so he took off at a run. The person was fighting a beowolf, so if he turned to run the agile creature would tear him to shreds.

Once he had a clear line of fire, Lucas let off a shot. He never missed. The beowolf's head exploded, the body falling limp next to the downed teen. Lucas walked the last 200 yards and inspected his kill.

"Thanks." The teen who Lucas had just saved told him. Lucas sized him up. He had gray hair and steel gray eyes. Apparently he liked the color gray because he wore a gray tee shirt and gray cargo pants. Lucas realized that the teen was not unarmed, and was sporting 2 daggers in gray sheaths. And to top off the outfit, gray wolf ears and tail!

"By any chance, is your name gray?" Lucas asked and the wolf cracked a grin. It made him look even more like a wolf.

"No, but I wouldn't mind the name." The teen stretched out his hand and Lucas shook it. "Now that we're teammates, my name is Eric Smalls. What's yours?"

"Lucas Cain." He pointed at the weapons on Eric's belt. "Why weren't you using those?" Eric immediately started to stutter, denying he had any reason to feel threatened. In response Lucas nudged the beowolf with his foot.

"Ok, fine. I was caught off guard. Happy?"

"I am satisfied." He said. He nodded to the north east. "The relics are this way. Can you walk?"

"Of course I can walk!" Eric bristled at the remark. He had started to storm off when Lucas told him he was going the wrong way. He immediately turned around and started to walk the right way. "I meant to do that."

"Uh-huh." Lucas took the lead, setting off at a quick jog, his eyes turning red. "Let's get going, fido." He weaved his way through the trees, generally avoiding any grim he spotted. The pair arrived at the ruins ahead of the other students. For relics, their were sixteen daggers with various gems sitting out on the pedestals. Eric picked up the emerald dagger inspecting the blade with an expert eye.

"Now what?" The wolf faunus asked, playing with the weapon. Eric was obviously very skilled, passing the spinning blade flawlessly from hand to hand. Lucas was fascinated by the display, temporarily forgetting he was in hostile territory.

"Now we head back." Lucas turned on his semblance and located the cliffs. Eric noticed his eye color changing and rings appearing and disappearing in his eye. Lucas's eyes changed from red, to white, and than finally to green again. "Race ya'." He said. The pair took off, determined to outrun each other.

"Charles Gwen, Olympia Pendal, Lucas Cain, and Eric Smalls. Led by, Lucas Cain." The auditorium applauded as the teens came on stage. Ozpin stood on stage with his signature cup of coffee. "You four retrieved the Emerald dagger. From now on you four will be known as team COLE." There was one last applause and the team took a seat. Lucas was surprise that he was appointed leader, but he vowed to live up to the title.

"Nice to meat you." Olympia said quietly as they watched another set of students get called to the stage. She was rather tall, standing at 5'9. She had pretty blue eyes that gleamed with energy. She had long brunette hair that fell past her shoulder. She was thin and light, making it look like she was an elf if it weren't for the fox ears and bushy tail. Charles kept shooting glances at her, looking away quickly. The boy had dirty blond hair and was about the same size of Lucas and Eric. He was more muscled than the rest of the group, his arms lean and powerful. He also had golden lion eyes.

"The pleasure is mine." He responded, returning his attention to the stage. The last team had taken the stage, the assembly coming to an end. The students flooded out, going every which way. Lucas led his team up the stairs and to their room on the second floor. The room was empty and had four beds and wardrobes. A bathroom was located just in the door.

Lucas tossed his bag on the bed on the far side of the room. The rest of the team did the same, Charles giving off the most amusing expression when Olympia chose the bed next to his. Olympia, fortunately for him, didn't notice.

"I still don't see why you get to be leader." Eric said as he plopped down on his bed. He had chosen the one closest to the door, right next to Charles's.

"Because the big bad wolf can't even take on a beowolf." Eric flinched as Charles laughed at the quick remark. Lucas had pretty much taken all the kills between the pair, mainly because Eric kept getting distracted and running straight into grim.

"It only happened once." Eric exclaimed. As usual, his quick temper was on the front burner.

"Once on the way to the relics, five times on the way back." Lucas counted on his fingers. Eric shut up as he started to describe each encounter in detail. He was halfway through the one when Eric had ran straight into an ursa when his scroll went off. "Got to go. The bunny's calling." He left the room and ran down the hall, jumping the stairs, nothing existed in the world to stop him from being with Velvet.


	4. Chapter 4

Velvet was waiting around in the courtyard when the ground next to her exploded. Lucas had jumped out a 5th story window, landing in a kneel and hitting his fist against the ground. If he could see one of those monitors, he was pretty sure it would tell him he took quite a hit.

Lucas coughed as he inhaled the dust cloud he kicked up. "That was fun." He said in between coughs.

"Why did you jump?" Velvet asked as the dust settled. That was an extraordinarily stupid move, not to mention reckless.

"My dorm was on the sixth floor and this was the quickest way down." He brushed the dirt off his legs. "You have my promise I won't do it again, though." Velvet just shook her head. "So, why did you call?"

"First off, to congratulate you on getting in. The second, have you seen my brother?" Velvet asked absentmindedly. "I was going to introduce you two and get him to thank you."

"Good luck with that." Lucas told her. "I get the feeling he can only be seen when he wants to be seen." Velvet looked at him sideways, giving a cute tilt of her head. "We've already met." He silently grimaced at the memory of his last conversation with Kyle. He offered to give some hints on the entrance exam and nearly robbed him blind if a third year hadn't stopped him.

"Could be his semblance." Velvet said. Lucas raised an eyebrow and she shook her head. "Can't tell you. It would be very expensive." The two laughed at the thought of the little guy making a profit off of their conversation.

"Did you know he once made a profit of 100 lien off of this guy who asked for directions?" Velvet asked. Lucas shook his head, prompting her to tell more. "Well, he made the mistake of asking directions to the cheapest hardware store with the best selection."

"I gave him the info he requested." The pair jumped as Kyle materialized next to them. He was wearing shorts and a tee shirt again, this time without a sweatshirt. "Therefore he had to pay up for everything he learned."

Lucas breath out a sigh of relief. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought you could teleport." Kyle just shook his head.

"For 40 lien, I'll tell you my semblance." Lucas turned down the offer, not because he wasn't curious, but because he couldn't just fork out that much money on the spot.

The three of them hung around the courtyard for a while, Velvet talking about her friends and how Cardin had left her alone all day and Lucas listening intently. Kyle, on the other hand, took off shortly after showing up, saying he had some business to attend to. Lucas watched closely, expecting him to vanish again, but he just walked into the school.

"Forgive him." Velvet told him. "It's not that he is being rude, it's just that he can't give any information away without charging."

"I know that." Lucas said. "Just wish he wasn't so darn expensive." He checked his watch, making sure of the time. "It's about dinner time. You want to join me?"

Velvet shook her head. "I'm eating with my team." Lucas kept a straight face and just shrugged it off. "Maybe next time." They walked into the lunch room together them went their separate ways.

"Ooh, who's she?" Olympia asked as he sat down with his teammates.

"Just a friend." Lucas said calmly. "I helped her brother in that upset yesterday." Charles shrugged, accepting the response.

Eric, however, was surprised by the news. "You were the one behind those assholes fall from glory?" A wolffish grin was stretched across his face.

"Me and a friend." The others started to push him for details, Lucas almost laughing at some of their expectations. "I was just the one stopping the back up. My friend was the one who dealt with the leader. Also, I was borrowing his power, none of that invisibility and water balloons were my power."

Eric whistled. "That's some power he has there." Lucas agreed. In reality, John had to focus on every piece of the plan in order for it to work. He had to keep Lucas hidden, keep each one of the marbles and balloons invisible, and control Cardin. Talk about a headache.

There was a nock on the door, breaking the conversation. Lucas got up and answered it, not expecting who was on the other side.

"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Kyle asked as the door opened. His note book was in his hands and a pencil was behind his ear. "I would like to ask a few questions."

"Do I get paid?" Lucas asked sarcastically as he left the room. "And why would an info dealer be interested in me?"

"Because you were part of something important and well known. I can make a profit off of what I learn about your role in the event of dinner last night." Kyle said mater of factly. "And yes, you will be paid." Kyle started out by asking about the Cardin incident, then proceeded to ask about Lucas himself. His favorite color, his hight, weight, hobbies, weapons, ect. After the half hour interrogation, Kyle surprised Lucas with 60 lien.

"Why so much?" Lucas asked, recounting the money to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"A certain person has a sum of money extra to get the information ahead of the public." Kyle responded, pocketing his note book and walking away. "If you want to know, it will cost you. They want their identity secret."

"How much?" Kyle flipped through his book then held up two fingers and a fist. 20. "Ok, tell me the person and your semblance." Lucas handed back the money, making it clear that he was serious.

Kyle accepted the money without a word. "Ok first, the person who bought your info was Velvet Scarlatina. Second, my semblance is mind connect. It allows me to connect to other people's heads if they know my name."

"Is that at all times?" Lucas asked worriedly. _I can still go to the bathroom in peace, can't I?_

"No. I have to nock on your mental door before I can come in." Kyle assured him. "It's like a private chat room. It also allows me to hear and see what you do." Lucas got a feeling it would be a very difficult to fight against the little guy's team.

Lucas thanked him and Kyle walked away, somehow disappearing in an empty hallway. Not for the last time, he wondered how Cardin caught him. He made a mental note to ask next time he had money. _Velvet huh. Maybe I should go to her._ He would have, too. The only problem was he didn't know her room.

"What he want?" Charles asked as he entered the room. Lucas would not have thought he was a faunus if it weren't for his eyes and the way he held himself.

"Just wanted to know more about me." Lucas grabbed a towel and a change of clothes. "Anyone need to use the bathroom, I'm going to use the shower." The others shook their heads, letting him go ahead.

Lucas took a quick shower, giving himself a light scrubbing. He picked up a razor and was starting to get at the stubble when there was a loud crash. Lucas swore loudly as he cut a jagged cut on his cheek. He quickly got dressed and rushed out of the bathroom, his aura healing his cheek.

Eric was being held in the air by his throat by Olympia. Charles laid slumped against the wall,having being nocked out cold. "What in the world is going on?!" Lucas shouted. Olympia looked over he shoulder and dropped the wolf.

"The guys were fighting over something and I broke it up." Olympia responded, straightening up as if she were talking to a general.

"Geez, I was only teasing him." Eric sputtered. "He didn't have to get all mad about it."

Lucas sighed. "Do you even know what they were arguing about?" She shook her head. Eric made a cutting motion with his hand in front of his neck, telling Lucas to stay silent. Lucas shook his head, not getting why quick tempered Eric would protect someone else's secret. "Olympia, you can't just go around and pin people up by their necks. Eric may be a bit of a jerk, but trust me when I say Eric is a good guy. He was just playing around." He then looked at the unconscious teen against the wall. "Who did that?"

"I did." Olympia said cheerfully. Lucas sweat dropped.

 _How am I going to keep these guys together? We have the shy lion, the quick tempered wolf, the incredibly strong fox girl, and the only human is the one in charge._ Lucas thought to himself. _I am so going to be destroyed._

 **Hey guys, it's the author. Sorry for the long wait. I've been working on both of my stories at the same time, not to mention juggling the end of tri schoolwork. However, I promise to upload a new chapter when I come back from break.**


	5. A lone wolf joins his pack

"That was despicable!" Eric complained as Lucas took his seat. They were in the middle of combat practice, and Lucas just got his butt owned. "And to a girl, none the less." A hand gripped the wolf faunus's shoulder, crushing it.

"Is there a problem with us girls?" Olympia asked sweetly, a threatening grin on her face. Eric's face immediately lost all color and Lucas could see goosebumps start to form on him.

"No mam." Charles laughed as the big bad wolf was brought to his knees by the fox. Olympia was the only one on the team that Eric wasn't willing to pick a fight with, making her one of Lucas's favorite teammate.

 _So, how much would you pay for that little tidbit?_ Lucas asked mentally. Kyle sat across the room, high up in the risers to get a good view of the whole room. Lucas made eye contact with the rabbit boy, and he held up two fingers. _I'll take it._ Two lien from the rabbit whole. That was something that was not easy to do, and it hardly started to fill the massive hole in his wallet that his business had left him with.

Not ten minutes after Lucas's defeat, Eric was called to the field. He was up against someone who was clad in leather armor that was dyed green and use a staff. It amused Lucas on how poorly the fight went.

"I thought he could use those knives." Charles commented as the watched their teammate struggle to get close to his opponent. The guy in green wasn't as fast as Eric, but his reflexes were amazing. Every time Eric would attack, the guy would block and counter with astounding skill.

"He can." Lucas said as he watched the combatants moves closely. "But he is rather narrow minded. He pretty much only uses one style of fighting and refuses to change his strategy. Take this for instance." He gestured down to the field as Eric was nocked off his feet. "He is up against an opponent who excels at defensive fighting. So instead of switching his fighting style to one that that suits the situation, such as fainting an attack or nocking his opponent off balance, he continues to recklessly throw himself into the fray."

The fight concluded with Eric taking a rather heavy hit on the head with a wooden stick. Goodwitch called the match and Eric returned to the stands and waited to be dismissed. "I **lost** to a stick." He muttered under his breath as they walked out of the room.

"You would have lost no matter what weapons he used." Lucas said from behind him. Eric glared over his shoulder, but Lucas was used to it. "You need to change your step more often. A one trick pony is bound to get beat." Eric snorted and turned his back on his leader.

"And what do you know? I believe you lost your match, didn't you." He said grumpily.

"I lost due to my lack of experience in close range combat and my inability to land as many hits as I should have." Lucas said nonchalantly. "If I move faster, I could have stayed out of her range and would have had an easier getting shots off. Another solution would to have a secondary weapon that could be used at medium to close range fighting."

"Show off." Eric stalked away. It always ticked him off when he had to admit that Lucas was right. No matter how many times Lucas told him what he did wrong, he refused to fix or change his fighting style. "If you don't win, you die. There is no learning. Just knowing your place."

The three of the remaining members of team COLE watched as Eric stalked away. "Ignore him." Charles said. But Lucas couldn't ignore him. When Charles and Olympia hit the library to study, Lucas separated and went to go search for the dual wielding knife user.

Lucas checked the gym, the court yard, even back in their room. Eric wasn't to be found in any of these. "He's probably just somewhere blowing of steam." Lucas told himself. But if that was true, were was he?

The answer came about an hour and a half later when he walked in late for doctor Oobleck's class. He ignored the teacher when he paused the class and asked him were he had been and took his seat with the rest of his team. His shirt was damp with sweat and he had a cut or two on his arms and hands.

After the disruption had settled down, Oobleck went back on his caffeinated lecture. It was a continuation of the last one, where they were going over the start of the great faunus war. Eric kept falling asleep throughout the lesson, which wasn't that unusual, but normally it was out of boredom and not exhaustion.

At one point Eric was called upon to answer a question and Charles had to breath him the answers. Lucas kept a close eye on the teen, making sure he didn't snore too loudly. At the end of the hour and a half, they walked the suspiciously tired wolf out of the class room, partly supporting him.

"Ok, spill it." Lucas told Eric as the stashed their bags in their room heybefore going to dinner. "What were you doing before Oobleck's class? You're all worn out and have fresh cuts. Did you get into a fight?"

"Butt out, human." Eric growled. He tried to push his way to the door but Lucas blocked his way. "Out of the way."

"No." Lucas said firmly. "You might not respect me, but I'm still in charge. Now tell me what's going on." Eric rose up to his full hight, straightening his back and puffing out his chest. He glared at Lucas.

"Last warning." Eric was readying for a fight, and Lucas stood firm. Charles looked on from next to Olympia, ready to stop her if she decided to intervene.

Lucas took the first like a pro. Eric's fist came flying out and nailed him in the face, forcing his head to turn. Lucas spat out a bit of blood and turned back to the faunus, a look of determination in his eyes. He allowed another punch to land in his gut, and yet another one to his chest, almost making him stager. He caught the fifth punch and head butted Eric, hard.

Lucas blocked a left hook and kneed Eric in the stomach. He then side stepped an uppercut and elbowed him in the back. Eric staggered and Lucas kicked him in the ass, nocking him to the ground. Eric got back to his feet and drew his knives, launching a fast pace attack at Lucas.

"You're to predictable." Lucas said as he dodged the strike, ducking and weaving as Eric followed up with a series of slashes. Lucas nocked him to the ground and put his foot on his chest. Eric lunged at Lucas, aiming to stab him in the chest. Lucas caught his arm and kicked him in the balls. "This isn't like you, Eric. Now tell me, what's wrong?"

Eric sat up, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his heels. He let out a deep breath as he wrestled his temper in. Olympia and Charles joined them. "All I've done since I got here is lose." Eric muttered. "From were I came from, if you lose you die. It's just the rules of my life."

Olympia and Charles seamed to understand were Eric was coming from, but Lucas drew a blank. "We're in a civilized time. What do you mean you lose you die." Eric laughed at Lucas's ignorance, taking it as proof that he was a fool.

"That's a lie." Olympia said softly. She held on to her shoulder and stared at the ground, as if remembering something unpleasant. "There are still many places were we aren't welcome. Eric happened to grow up in one of such places."

Lucas's eyes widened as he put the pieces together. "Are you saying that were you come from, you could be killed because your a faunus?" Eric nodded. He lifted his shirt to show a large collection of scars. _He's a veteran of his own war._ Lucas thought to himself as he tried to count all the cuts.

"So what do you have to say to that now?" Eric asked as he let his shirt fall down. Lucas was silent for a minute, trying to fathom how much his teammate had gone through.

"If losing means you lose your life, why do you insist on fighting alone?" Charles nodded. "You have allies right here. If you would just work with us, you wouldn't lose." Eric eyeballed Lucas. No one had ever offered to help him before, much less a human.

"The lone wolf gig sounds pretty cool." Olympia admitted. "But we could really use your experience." Charles grinned at her unintended pun.

"So what do you say?" Lucas asked, extending his hand. "Will you let me cover your back?" Eric sat on the ground for a moment, starring at him like he was mad. Then he spun his daggers and put them back into his sheaths.

"You better not miss." Eric said with a wolffish grin as he grabbed Lucas's hand.

hey guys, it's the author. Here is the chapter I promised. If you enjoy my works, check out the main story of which this one branches off of, RWBY: rebirth. I would like to thank you if you leave a comment below, telling me how I did.


	6. Chapter 6: the shy follower

"You too seem to get along nicely." Velvet said with a smile. Lucas had just explained his problems with Eric, who still preferred to fight alone more often than not.

"He's at least dropped the racism. But I still wish he would be more open with us." The pair was walking through the school garden, Velvet keeping an eye out for a carrot patch. "It's farther back, by the green house." Lucas told her.

"How did you get permission to plant them?" Velvet asked, her mouth watering at the thought of the carrots.

"The class mainly uses them in the spring. I was told I could use them as much as I want." Lucas had asked about it in their first class with Professor Peach. A month and a half later, they were ready to harvest.

"You're to good to me." Velvet said playfully. They rounded a corner of very small trees in pots when the greenhouses came into view. Being part rabbit, Velvet ran at a super human speed to the vegetables, bouncing the whole way.

"You know, I'm kind of glad John tricked me that day." Lucas said to himself as he ran to catch up. "That was just too adorable." He dropped his basket to the ground and got into the dirt, digging up his crops. Velvet was way ahead of him, pulling up her prizes with proficiency.

"You say something?" She asks, looking up for her carrots.

"No. Just pick what you will eat, leave the rest to be picked at a later date." He smiled at the cute faunus. No matter how often he saw her, she always managed to do something to make him smile.

By the time Lucas had picked five carrots, velvet had finished hers. She picked up his carrots and put them onto her stack, bringing them over to the pump. The pair began to rinse the dirt off of the food, occasionally splashing each other on accident. Velvet hummed a merry tune as she scrubbed the carrot, her ears waving to the melody.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something." Lucas said, putting down his carrot and starting on another.

"What is it?"

"Do you like me?" Velvet paused her actions, surprised by Lucas's question. She glanced sideways at him, a slight blush on her face.

"Why d-do you ask?" She busied herself with cleaning the vegetables, pretending that this conversation was not happening.

"Because you're keeping tabs on me." Lucas put his brush down, adding his carrot to the pile of clean ones. "I know because your brother sold me the information." Velvet started to act uncomfortable, her hype being removed by the awkward situations.

"You know about that, huh." She was tensed up, like she was ready to run away at a pin drop. Lucas put a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch.

"Relax. I didn't grow these for me to eat." Velvet a eyes widened as his words sunk in. Lucas smiled, Velvet returning the gesture. They finished washing the food and turned the facet off, brushing the dirt off of their pants. They walked back to the school together, Velvet happily munching on a carrot. Lucas briefly wondered if he used his semblance, could he possibly see the hearts flying off of her?

"We're back!" Velvet called out as they walked into team CFVY's room. Coco and Yatsuhashi were playing a game of cards on the floor. Fox was sitting on his bed, relaxing against the wall. He treated Velvet with a have of his hand, nodding to Lucas. Lucas returned the nod.

"Welcome back." Coco said, looking up from from her cards. "Good to see you again too, Lucas. Want me to deal you in?"

"No thank you." He walked over to their small portable refrigerator, moving aside some of the iced coffee cans to fit the carrots. _I see why this team is team coffee._ The thought to himself, amused by the content of the fridge. "You would bleed me dry."

Coco chuckled. "That's not what you said last time." She put down her hand. "Full house, pay up." Yatsuhashi handed over the money, obviously being robbed blind.

"I should probably head out." Lucas said, glad he had an excuse not to bet against Coco. "I am due for team practice soon."

"Ok." Velvet went to give him a hug, hesitated, and held out a hand. Lucas shook it. "Thanks for the carrots."

"Enjoy them, their my treat." He walked out the door, waving his hand behind him. He made his way to the training area, meeting up with his team in the stands. They treated him heartily, Eric giving a friendly punch in the arm.

"How did your date go?" He teased.

"It wasn't a date." Lucas said, then added, "but it might lead to an actual one." Eric gave a whoop and congratulated him, Olympia pressing for details. Lucas took notice that she didn't have a weapon, as usual. She used her semblance to create metals claws out of the back of her hands and she used those to fight. Charles had his hammer slung across his back, which was capable of turning into an axe.

Lucas filled them in on what had happened in the garden, going back and explaining about Kyle while he was at it. "So she liked you since you first met!" Olympia said, delighted for her friend. Eric was kind of disappointed, hoping for something more interesting.

"So the girl you like has secretly liked you since she first met you." Eric said, leaning back in his chair. "Shy girl likes the invisible hero with the marbles."

"Pretty much." Lucas said with a shrug. His attention was called to the stage as Goodwitch started to take attendance. Today they were doing ranked matches, being graded on how well they fought.

"Ok, let's start with," she paused, reading the roster on her scroll. "Teams COLE and LAKE." Lucas's stomach tightened when he heard his opponents. He led his team down to the field, his stomach full of rocks.

"Take out the little guy first." Lucas whispered to his team. "It is highly important we take him out first." They nodded, zeroing in on the rabbit faunus. Kyle grinned at Lucas, obviously hearing what he just ordered.

Kyle's team was practically untouchable. The leader, Andreas, was a ferocious contender. He wielded a long sword that doubled as a shotgun and was highly specialized in close combat. Not to mention he was an amazing commander. Edgar specialized in medium range combat, using a shield that he could throw and retrieve by an extendable chain that connected to a bracelet on his wrist. Lin specialized in long distance combat. He commanded a small fleet of disk like droids that he controlled with his aura. Each one could extend saw blades out of their sides and had a laser in the middle. But the most important member was Kyle, his mental network allowing his team to see and hear what the rest do. He used shock gauntlets, anything that touched them got zapped. Not to mention he was extremely fast and hard to hit.

Lucas didn't miss a beat. Once the match started, he sprung backwards and released a few rounds at the rabbit. Edgar jumped forward, blocking the shots. Three disks popped up behind him, releasing a rain of lasers. Lucas dodged to the side, popping a shot of fat Andreas who was engaged in a melee with Eric. Andreas dodged backwards, dodging the shot. Eric took the opening and launched a massive counter attack, his knives a blur.

Lucas side stepped Edgar's shield, giving cover fire to Olympia, who was giving chase to Kyle. He nocked down two disks that had been attacking her, denting them. Charles was occupying the rest of the disks, struggling as they surrounded him. Edgar changed targets, charging Charles, aiming to take him out with a slam from his shield. Lucas reloaded and aimed at his back, only to be stopped when Eric was nocked backwards, getting in the way of the shot.

"Eric, join Olympia." Lucas yelled, running forward and slamming Andreas with the butt of his rifle. "I'll hold him." Eric obeyed, leaving Lucas to fight the sword wielding opponent. Lucas stayed close, focusing on blocking his attacks until he could get some assistance. He heard a thud somewhere nearby, but he didn't dare look away from his opponent.

Lucas took a heavy hit as Edgar sent his shield into his side, tossing him to the side. He coughed, getting to his feet and getting a quick glance at the rest of the field. Eric had cornered Kyle and was now engaged in a fast paced hand to hand combat match. Olympia and Charles were holding off Lin's disks and keeping him occupied.

Lucas was in a pinch. The sword and shield duo covered each other perfectly, leaving no gaps in the armor. Lin had Charles and Olympia on the defensive, his disks moving at a fast pace and their shots hard to block. All their auras were on the decline, and only Lin's was anywhere close to being damaged. Then something occurred to Lucas.

Lucas dodged the sword and used Edgar's shield as a springboard, jumping over the two of them. He rolled, dodging a shotgun blast, and yelled an order to the rest of his team. "Ignore them! Focus on Lin, that is the only way we can win at this point!" He took a hit in the back with the sword, getting nocked to the ground. Lucas rolled over and let loose as many shots as he could, most of them getting deflected by Lin's disks.

The teams regrouped, this time team LAKE on the defensive. Kyle was attempting to hold off Eric, who kept dodging around him and gaining ground. Charles and Olympia were facing off against Edgar and Andreas, Charles countering their block, letting Olympia slip through and rush up to Lin, landing a flurry of hits before Kyle nocks her away.

Lucas's shots would take out the disks that were still functional, taking them out of the fight. He spent the rest of his energy distracting Andreas and Edgar with Charles and chasing Kyle away from Lin, running low on ammunition rather quickly. But the time he bought for Eric and Olympia was more than enough to take out Lin.

"Match!" Goodwitch cried. A dull roar of cheers echoed throughout the room. The untouchable team LAKE was defeated. Lucas sling his gun over his back and turned to examine his team. They were all out of breath, some of them sitting on the ground. Lucas was just as exhausted as they were, but he remained on his feet. The rest of the team got to their feet, following their leaders example.

Team LAKE helped Lin to his feet, examining him for wounds. "You fought well." Kyle said as they returned to their seats.

"You too." Lucas panted. The class resumed, battles raged on. The class left in high spirits, chatting merely amount themselves about the most recent matches. They passed by a group of second year on their way to the practice area for their next class. Tagging along behind them was John, hands in his pockets and practicing not being noticed. He was failing epically.

"I'm going to watch this." He told the rest of his team. They spied his real target down the hall. Velvet was walking with her team, Lucas slipping in when they passed. The rest of his team shook their heads.

"Boys." Olympia said with a grin, watching the foolish teen sneak into someone else's class.


	7. Chapter 7: a date in town

Lucas snuck into the second year combat class with Velvet's team, and it was amazing. They were so much more skilled than he was, exchanging blows and taking hits as if they were nothing. Velvet giggled at his excitement, sometimes stopping him from jumping to his feet and whooping like an idiot.

"These guys are holding back so not to hurt each other." Velvet whispered to the over excited teen. "Except Nora. That's a dangerous battle to fight." Lucas couldn't believe that they were holding back.

"I wonder if I will be this strong one day." Lucas wondered aloud.

"Bet on it, little man." Coco said, smacking him hard in the back. "Remember, we're only second years." The class went on, more battles being fought on the stage. Lucas was on the edge of his seat the whole time, entranced by the show.

With 20 minutes to go till class ended, the room was unusually quite. No one was volunteering. "Why is no one going up?" Lucas asked, looking around the room. Everyone was looking at each other, as if dreading what was about to happen.

Goodwitch answered his question. "Ok, no one volunteers, so we will have to draw lots." She turned to her scroll. "We will be having John Straiter vs. Nora Valkyrie." The two combatants took to the field and Lucas recalled what Velvet had said.

 _Except Nora. That's a dangerous battle to fight._ Lucas glanced over to Velvet, concerned for his friend. Velvet watched the field closely, not noticing him. The battle started, Nora launching a salvo of pink projectiles at John, passing straight through him as he flickered out of existence. Nora continued to blast at his last know whereabouts and he reappeared, stumbling slightly. The girl in pink rushed forward and slammed her massive hammer into his gut, the savage blow sending him flying into the wall.

John got to his feet and check the large aura gauge on the wall, a look of grim amusement on his face. He split into three clones of himself, charging Nora. One of them jumped, aiming to land a downward cut on her head. Nora countered with an uppercut from her hammer, dissolving the teen. Lucas didn't have time to gasp as the other John rushed past, landing a passing slash on her. Nora caught him in the back as he tried to get away.

John collapsed against the wall, Nora letting out a cheer of victory. Lucas stared down at the limp body of his friend, fearing the worst. Then his body dissolved.

"Where did he go!?" Lucas down right shouted. The guys of team CFVY pushed his head down as people around looked towards his voice.

"Be silent and watch." Yatsuhashi told him, letting him back up. Nora was spinning in a circle, trying to locate her target.

Suddenly, a hand with a bone white dagger shot out of her shadow, landing a few cuts on her ankles before retreating. Nora panicked and smashed her shadow, John escaping narrowly behind her. He landed a few hits by the time Nora could turn around, but he was to slow to dish out any real damage. John seemed to be floating in midair when Nora hit him next, sending him flying to the ceiling.

There was a beeping noise as the aura gauge read empty, followed shortly by a pair of loud sickening snaps. John screamed in agony as he fell, both of his legs broken. He was saved just in time as Goodwitch sprung into action, stopping his decent with telekinesis. Lucas rushed down to the field, not caring that he was not supposed to be there.

"I'm not even going to ask why your here, mr. Cain." Goodwitch said, pulling up the unconscious teens pant legs. "But I need you to run to the nurses office. Tell her we might have a wash out." She called for someone to help her move him to the infirmary.

The color drained out of Lucas's face as he heard those words. Over the last month of school, John had become one of his closest friends. His thoughts turned to the worst as he rushed down the hall, already working up a deal to let him stay in school.

Lucas let himself into the infirmary and nocked on the nurses office, waiting impatiently for her to answer. After a few seconds the nurse poked her head out the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked, looking him over for injuries or sickness.

"I just came from the training hall. Their bringing in a boy with two broken legs." The nurse nodded grimly and exited her office, making her way over to one of the beds and began to prep it for John's arrival. Shortly later, professor Goodwitch and a girl in a black bow brought John in and placed him on the bed, tailed by Nora. The nurse didn't seem surprised to see her.

After a quick talk with Goodwitch, the nurse ducked into her office to look up John's medical history. The girls took up seats next to John's bed, Nora looking guilty and Blake worried. Lucas took a seat on the other side of his fallen friend, not entirely trusting little miss pink.

"Do you think their going to kick him out?" Lucas asked Blake. She shrugged and shook her head.

"His grades are right up there with Weiss, so probably not." She didn't sound to sure about the words coming out of her mouth, but Lucas was willing to take anything he could get.

"Damb bastard, I still have to thank him." Lucas whispered to himself. The guy had played him like a puppet, practically dragging him into a relationship with Velvet. The clever guy did them good.

Lucas stayed by John's side for a few more minutes, planning on making an appeal on John's behalf until the nurse chased him away as Ozpin of all people showed up. Blake was called into her office as he left the room.

Velvet was waiting just outside the door. "Is he going to be ok?" She asked. Lucas nodded, walking down the hall to the dorms.

"Yeah, Blake said he stood a good chance of staying." Lucas said. "This doesn't happen to him all the time, does it?" He asked her. She shook her head and he sighed in relief. "I just had a hard time believing the mastermind could go down so easily after a whole year here."

"I wouldn't know. He only just started this year." Lucas did a double take. John was new? Who knew.

"You know, I was planning on taking you out tomorrow as a thank you for the food, but if you don't feel like it it's ok." Velvet rocked side by side, a blush on her face. Lucas grabbed her hand, making her glance up.

"Why would I turn down a cute girl like you?" They both smiled. "What time?"

"My classes end at three. I'll meet you in the entrance hall then." She hopped away, literally. Lucas chuckled to himself as he watched the adorable display. He had to thank John after his date.

(Time skip)

Lucas sat through all his classes impatiently, often tapping his foot and drawing the attention of his teammates.

"Dude, what's up?" Eric finally whispered. They were in the middle of one of professor Port's lecture, so they had to be quite if they wished to avoid being detected. The fat guy really disliked stoping his stories.

"Nothing. Just got a date with Velvet later." The bell rang to dismiss them, catching Port halfway through his tale. There was a small amount of laughter as he blundered, promising an end to the tale when they came back.

Team COLE wandered back to their room, dropping off their books and getting ready for their next class. They had a half hour break until they had to go to their next class, but the wait was killing. All Lucas wanted was to go on a date with his new girlfriend, was that too much to ask? And to top it off, his classes ended first, so he still had to wait afterwards.

"Relax captain." Olympia said. "A little bit of a wait is nothing if you really want the final reward." Lucas truly didn't like being called that.

"The giant girl has a point." Eric said from where he lounged on his bed. "You shouldn't spend so much energy waiting." Ouch. It really meant something when Eric told you to calm down. Olympia got annoyed at her nick name, Lucas having to get involved to stop the coming argument.

"I'll take your advice." He said, putting his hands up as if to hold them apart. "Just leave the room in one piece today." Olympia backed down, reverting to her normal happy self. _Such terrifying changes of mood._ Lucas thought. _And Charles wants to date her?_

Lucas waited his way through dr. Oobleck's class, distracting himself with the lesson. It didn't work to well, seeing as Velvet would constantly pop into his head. He almost got caught daydreaming, narrowly avoiding having to stay after class.

Lucas decided to wait around in the entrance hall instead of joining his teammates as they went to study in the library. After a 20 minute wait, (agonizingly counted.) Velvet joined him.

"Did you wait long?" She asked, taking his hand.

"I've been waiting for this all day." Lucas said as they started to walk. A memory of how much John had raged when he found out there was a path that led to town popped into his head and not for the first time he wondered what exactly he had been up to. He pushed the thought out of his head, returning his attention to the girl at his side.

"What do you want to do?" He asked Velvet. "We could go see a movie, shopping is an option, or we could go and eat." Velvet giggled at his cluelessness. He was practically stumbling in the dark, trying to guess how to make her happy.

"Let's just enjoy ourselves." She said. "But I guess I could use some new clothes. Your paying, right?" She smiled and Lucas gulped.

"Yeah, of course." He said quietly. Velvet laughed and let him know she was joking, fully knowing her brother had all his money. The pair arrived in Vale around 3:25, barely noticing the time go bye. Velvet switched back to being shy, not entirely comfortable in a crowd of strangers. Lucas gently squeezed her hand, taking the lead. She huddled closely to him, holding onto his arm.

As time went on, Velvet seemed to accept her surroundings more, becoming more relaxed. "Sorry about cutting off circulation to your arm." She said bashfully.

"No problem." Lucas claimed, windmilling his poor arm. She might be cute, but she didn't get into beacon that way. "I kind of pegged you as the shy type to begin with anyway." They had entered a clothing store and Velvet was looking through their shirts.

"It used to be far worse." Velvet said, picking up a shirt with brown and maroon stripes and held it to her body. She put it back. "But a year with Ruby can change anyone. Blake used to be really moody, but now she can be fun sometimes."

"Do you mean to tell me Weiss is less stuck up than she used to be?" Lucas pictured what Weiss would be a year ago and shuddered.

"That would be unbearable." Velvet agreed. "But unfortunately for them, she is as bad as she was a year ago." She wandered over to the coat section, browsing the fall section. She picked out blueish purple coat that extended to her feet and had a series of fuzzy buttons on the upper toro. "What do you think? Good enough for detective work."

"I'm innocent inspector, I swear." The pair laughed. Lucas ended up buying the coat for her, insisting it was his present. She put it on over her current out fit. The arms were a bit to long, but Lucas convinced her it was ok.

The pair wandered around town for another hour or so before they had to start making their way back to the school. They chatted merrily about their families, having fun guessing how much Kyle could milk out any given information. Lucas stayed with her all the way to her door, getting a goodbye hug before he had to go back to his team.

 _And I would have got a kiss if this three hadn't been staring!_ He thought to himself, whistling a four note tune that John had taught him.


End file.
